1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to children""s books with electronic sound effects and, more particularly, to an electronic book in which visual elements on separate pages combine to form a picture which simulates a three-dimensional view.
2. Background Art
The combination of books with electronic sound effects is well known in the art. In particular, many books have included a sound-producing mechanism which is triggered by turning of the pages, and which plays audio segments which correspond with the narrative and pictures on the pages. These segments have included narration, music, and sound effects, among others. The means for producing such sound effects typically involves a battery-powered system involving a microprocessor and a speaker housed within the structure of the book itself.
The use of structures to produce three-dimensional images is also known. For instance, Lippmann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,204, discloses an apparatus made of individual leaves in which the two-dimensional shape of the leaves varies from one leaf to another so that the closed apparatus is in the form of a distinct three-dimensional structure. Such apparatus are limited, however, in that they are able to present only one story which is predetermined by the shapes of the individual pages and their configurations. In addition, the apparatus of the Lippmann ""204 patent is a strictly visual or tactile device.
It would be desirable to provide a book-like apparatus in which each page has a substantially uniform two-dimensional shape, in which the reader is able to see a three-dimensional image due to the interplay of visual elements on separate pages.
It would also be desirable to provide a book-like apparatus in which the three-dimensional nature of the images is combined with electronic sound effects.
It would also be desirable to provide a book-like apparatus which is capable of displaying simulated three-dimensional images, while also being able to present story elements in an audible fashion, wherein a plurality of pages with corresponding different three-dimensional images are provided, and the respective images correspond to distinct audible story elements.
It would also be desirable to provide a book-like apparatus with three-dimensional images and electronic sound effects in which the reader is able to choose from among a number of stories.
These and other desirable characteristics of the present invention will become apparent in view of the present description, claims, and drawings.
The present invention is directed to a book device for presenting visual and audible indicia corresponding to at least one narrative story, comprising a substantially hollow spine structure, at least three page members pivotably connected to the substantially hollow spine structure, a sound producing apparatus, a plurality of switch elements, and visible indicia corresponding to the at least three page members. The sound producing apparatus is operably disposed in the substantially hollow spine structure and configured to annunciate audible indicia corresponding to portions of at least one narrative story, the portions of the story being annunciated being dependent upon the respective positions of the at least three page members relative to the hollow spine structure. The plurality of switch elements operably interconnect the at least three page members to the substantially hollow spine structure and the sound producing means, and are operably configured to communicate to the sound producing means the respective positions of the at least three page members relative to the hollow spine is structure. The visible indicia corresponding to the at least three page members correspond also to portions of the at least one narrative story, and at least two of the at least three page members have opposite sides with indicia visible on each.
Further, at least one of the pages is at least partially transparent, so that when the at least one page is disposed in overlying relation to another of the at least two other pages, at least some of the indicia of the underlying page is visible through the at least one partially transparent page. Also, the indicia on the respective pages are operably arranged so that for each possible respective orientation of the at least three pages relative to each other and the substantially hollow spine member, the indicia visible to an operator bear a corresponding relationship to the particular portion of the at least one narrative story, represented by the audible indicia annunciated by the sound producing apparatus.
In another embodiment of the invention, the sound producing apparatus comprises an electronic microprocessor-controlled apparatus containing data stored in memory corresponding to the audible indicia corresponding, in turn, to the portions of at least one narrative story.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the plurality of switch elements are operably configured to cause a signal to be generated and transmitted to the electronic microprocessor-controlled apparatus, once the book device has been activated, indicative of a change in the respective orientation of the at least three pages, so as to cause the appropriate audible indicia, corresponding to the particular page orientation, to be annunciated.
In another preferred embodiment, the visible indicia on the pages are removable from the pages, and interchangeable, as a set, with at least one other set of indicia, and the sound producing apparatus is operably configured to produce audible indicia corresponding to at least two narrative stories.